


Just Far Enough

by crapoftheworld



Series: Rey's 2020 ATLA Bingo Fills [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Azula (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Badass Azula (Avatar), Badass Sokka (Avatar), Bonding, Breaking and Entering, Engagement, F/F, Gen, Happy Azula (Avatar), Implied Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Just a little tho, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Platonic Relationships, Post-Canon, Sibling Rivalry, Treason, hmmm, yes i did say aro/ace azula rights what about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:21:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25771294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crapoftheworld/pseuds/crapoftheworld
Summary: “Oh, so now you’re ready to do normal bonding things and talk about feelings? After we broke into the Fire Palace to steal your priceless family heirloom?”Azula yanked her helmet off, shaking her short hair loose and wiping some sweat off of her brow. Sokka loosened the ties on his gauntlets, pulling them off.“No time like the present. You’re marrying my brother, and since I’m planning on sticking around that’s the equivalent of marrying me.”“Is it?”Azula punched Sokka lightly in the shoulder, though her definition of light wasn’t unlike Toph’s. Sokka groaned.***Sokka and Azula go to great lengths to win a 'friendly' competition.
Relationships: Azula & Sokka (Avatar), Azula & Ursa & Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Rey's 2020 ATLA Bingo Fills [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1869553
Comments: 42
Kudos: 308
Collections: ATLA Bingo 2020 (Round 1)





	Just Far Enough

**Author's Note:**

> This was super fun to write! Azula and Sokka would be _legendary_ friends and you can't change my mind :)
> 
> Also the whole conversation between Sokka and Azula at the end is incredibly self-indulgent. Mayhaps I projected a bit but LET'S LET THEM BE HAPPY GOSHHH
> 
> Anyways, this was for the "If we get arrested, it's your fault." square for my ATLA Bingo card. Enjoy!

“I think this goes without saying, but if we get arrested, it’s your fault,” Sokka hissed, ducking behind a wall to avoid being spotted by a passing patrol.

“Why don’t you just relax and have fun, Mister Bride-To-Be? We can’t get arrested,” his companion shot back, pausing for dramatic effect as she grabbed him by the sleeve, dragging him back into the hallway. “That would be treason!”

“For the love of Tui and La…”

“Hey, this wasn’t my idea. Well, _this_ was my idea, but the whole sister-brother-swap-whatever thing is Katara’s fault. Take it up with her,” Azula replied, and Sokka guessed by the way she was tilting her head that she was grinning at him from under her mask.

“First of all, the ‘sister-brother-swap-whatever thing’ is a Water Tribe custom that dates back centuries, and I think it could be-- damn it, Azula!” Sokka broke off as his future sister-in-law suddenly sped up, laughing all the while as Sokka stumbled along behind her, the two still attached at the arm.

They hurtled around another corner without checking first. It was a mistake.

Sokka tackled Azula to the ground as two fireballs came flying their way and guards started shouting down the hall, relaying the message that two masked intruders had infiltrated the palace.

“You know I could’ve blocked the fire, right? Since I’m a _firebender?_ Just look out for yourself,” Azula grumbled, and Sokka had half a mind to call this whole thing off.

He didn’t. Instead, he grabbed his boomerang and flung it down the hall. It bounced off the helmets of three different guards before returning to his hand. A second later, those same three guards were dropping to the floor, unconscious. Sokka rolled to the other side of the hall, dodging another onslaught of fire. Azula giggled from the opposite wall.

“Not bad. Now watch this, loverboy.”

Azula rose to her feet, and Sokka imagined a deadly smirk on her face as she started toward the remaining guards, five in total. He was certain that if Azula didn’t have a mask on, the guards would all be paralyzed by fear, shaking in their pointy-toed boots. Instead, they shot several blasts of fire at her.

She dodged them easily, and Sokka could only stare in awe as she used her superior agility against her own palace guards, running along the walls, flipping around, and sidestepping all of their attacks. She was clearly playing with them, not even bothering to bend any fire.

Sokka thought it was kind of cruel, but at the same time, he was impressed and humbled by Azula’s prowess in battle. Just a few short years ago, those very same moves had been used against him and his friends.

They _were_ on a time crunch though, which meant it was time to wrap this up.

Sokka grabbed his club, joining Azula at the end of the hall and bashing the closest guy over the head. Though lacking Azula’s theatrics, it was quick and effective and managed to get the point across to his companion, who bounced off a wall, grabbing two soldiers and smashing their heads together. The final two men dropped their swords and ran.

“Cover’s blown.”

“You and I both know it would’ve been too easy any other way,” Azula answered readily, adjusting her mask and grabbing a sword from one of the downed soldiers. “Now, let’s see that big brain of yours do some thinking. The guards know we’re here. They know one of us is a firebender, and they know that Zuko and I are presumably in our chambers and have requested not to be bothered under any circumstances. What’s our next play?”

Sokka scratched his head in thought. They had until midnight to get this done. Zuko and Katara would undoubtedly finish early -- they wouldn’t _purposefully_ compromise themselves for the sake of fun, too focused on winning.

He and Azula would need to be quick, then. At least they worked surprisingly well together despite their past differences. And besides, she was right. This way _was_ more fun.

Seeing Katara lose never got old. And making it up to Zuko later -- that would be fun, too.

“Alright, I’ve got a plan.”

Azula laughed, but it wasn’t her patronizing laughter reserved for intimidation. It was her normal, unrestrained laughter -- that of someone who was genuinely enjoying themself. Sokka smiled when he heard Azula’s reply.

“I knew I could count on you.”

Palace security was… not the best, but once Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors got back, Sokka would feel a lot better. Anyways, in the event of intruders, all guards were typically summoned to the courtyard for a situation briefing before being assigned new patrols. That gave them maybe five minutes before the halls were swarming with guards again.

After stripping two of the palace guards and dawning their armor, Sokka led Azula back through the quiet palace corridors, taking routes he knew would be free of soldiers.

Now that their cover was blown, guards would be in groups of five to ten soldiers rather than the usual pair. They’d been unlucky when they ran into those eight guards outside of the main hall. Technically, they weren’t supposed to congregate like that, but what could you do? (Sokka had suggested firing them when he first moved in and Zuko had just laughed.)

Sokka heard rushed footsteps echoing down the corridor they had just left and shared a look with Azula. _Time’s up._

He rounded another corner. They’d made it to the guest quarters just in time. From experience, Sokka knew that guards would be posted outside either door of the enclosed hallway. He also knew that if they wanted to free-reign of palace grounds, they’d need to be escorting some pretty important people.

Azula inhaled sharply as Sokka made his way to a very specific door, knocking with as much authority as he could. He had to look the part of a palace guard if this was going to work.

Sokka heard a thump from inside of the room, followed by a few curses and laughter, and then a thoroughly ruffled Ty Lee was answering the door. Her hair was undone and tangled, a blush high on her cheeks, and she was still laughing at whatever had just happened behind the closed doors.

Mai came up behind her shortly after, fresh hickies clearly visible on her neck despite the dark robe she had hastily thrown on.

Sokka elbowed Azula in the gut before she could say anything. He already knew what she was thinking.

“Uh, can we help you?” Ty Lee asked, glancing between Azula and Sokka.

“Yes, there’s-- _ahem,_ ” Sokka coughed, clearing his throat to try again. He needed a deeper voice if he wanted to fool his friends. “There are intruders on the palace grounds. We’re to escort you to the family reliquary.”

“ _Okay…_ ” Ty Lee responded, drawing out the ‘a’ as she glanced back at Mai, who just shrugged. “We’ll be right out, we just need to get changed!”

The door slammed back in his face, and Sokka’s shoulders slumped. He was surprised that had worked. Now that they had some peace again, Azula finally cracked up.

“I can’t believe _this_ is your plan,” she gasped out between fits of wheezing laughter. “Mai and Ty Lee… agni! It’s so dumb, yet _brilliant!”_

Before Sokka could sling an insult back Azula’s way, the door to Mai’s chambers burst open and the two girlfriends exitted, now looking significantly more put together.

“Okay, lead away, Mister…?”

Sokka gulped, looking over to Azula for help. She just stuck her tongue out and raised an eyebrow, gestures that Mai and Ty Lee missed. Azula had assured him this little stunt wouldn’t involve any espionage. He could come up with plans, sure, but he had a long history of coming up with shitty cover stories. He liked to leave the names to Aang and Katara.

“Fire. Uh-- Wang Fire.”

Mai and Ty Lee shared another look, but didn’t comment on it.

“Okee dokee, Mister Wang Fire and company, please protect us from the big bad intruders!” Ty Lee chirped with way too much enthusiasm for it to be genuine, and Sokka had to physically stop himself from facepalming.

He really didn’t know why Mai and Ty Lee were going along with this. Surely, several red flags had made themselves apparent at this point, but Sokka wasn’t one to look a gift ostrich-horse in the mouth. If Mai and Ty Lee figured out who they were, the entire operation was blown. It was one of the previously agreed-upon rules that Katara had come up with -- no help from outside parties.

Without another word, he led the three women behind him toward the opposite end of the hall. As expected, six soldiers standing at attention were revealed when he swung the door open.

“We have direct orders from the Water Tribe Ambassador. These two women are to be brought to the Fire Lord’s personal reliquary,” he said in his most commanding voice, hoping for the best. “It’s the safest location on Palace grounds.”

The six guards looked him over warily before raising their weapons and moving to block off their exit.

“You’ve received orders from Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe? He won’t officially arrive at the palace until tomorrow for marriage preparations.”

“Uhh…”

“What Wang means,” Azula said, cutting in with both her voice and her body, shoving Sokka behind her as she spoke to the guard, “is that Ambassador Sokka sent a messenger hawk by the name of Hawky ahead of him. He has information on tonight’s… intrusion. He believes that an attempt may be made on the Fire Lord’s life, or perhaps even his close personal friends,” Azula finished, gesturing behind her to Mai and Ty Lee.

The guard’s face paled, but when prompted he and his friends hurried up to round up the other guards throughout the palace and position them all around the Fire Lord’s chambers. Dropping Hawky’s name was a clever touch -- his file was technically classified and it lent Azula’s story some authenticity.

“Well, this was fun. We’re going to check on Zuko,” Mai said suddenly, grabbing Ty Lee by the wrist and moving to follow after the guards.

“Wait!” Sokka called after them, and they turned around, looking particularly bored and anxious, respectively. “Uh, the Ambassador left very specific instructions. He dropped the name ‘Wong Shi Tong’ and said you two would know what it meant.”

Sokka closed his eyes, praying to every spirit he could think of as Mai and Ty Lee appeared to have a silent conversation just by staring at each other. They knew about the library -- it had come up at some point before and that it would mean something to them. Someday, they could come up with a real codeword to use for things like this.

Eventually, Mai turned back to him.

“Fine. We’ll go, but if anything happens to Zuko, it’ll be on your heads.”

Sokka looked back at Azula, who just smirked. _Problem solved, I guess._

Maybe it was an abuse of trust, but he was in this thing to win it. Besides, it was definitely an Azula-approved tactic. Mai and Ty Lee would understand when this whole thing was over and he could explain himself.

“Alright, let’s go.”

At least this part was going relatively smoothly. With all of the guards gathered outside of Zuko’s chambers, Sokka and Azula could navigate the maze-like Palace corridors with relative ease. Sokka was a bit concerned about how poorly guarded it was, but then again, this wouldn’t be the first time he’d easily broken into a Fire Nation building.

There was the invasion on the Day of Black Sun; that time he, Zuko, and Suki broke some prisoners out of the Boiling Rock; not to mention the time they commandeered a ship and thwarted Fire Lord Ozai’s attempt to raize the entire Earth Kingdom. And back then, he’d been a fucking teenager.

Still, considering the current situation, it was no wonder that Zuko had been forced to personally deal with so many assassination attempts. He was content enough knowing that the Kyoshi Warriors would fix things up around the Fire Palace soon enough.

Azula cut in front of Sokka, taking the lead and guiding them through several back hallways, using a secret tunnel hidden behind a tapestry in the staff kitchen. They finally arrived at what Sokka assumed was the reliquary, tucked away in the labyrinth of public and private halls.

“My partner is going to check the room first before we can let you two in.”

Mai nodded stiffly and Ty Lee grabbed onto her girlfriend’s arm as Azula went ahead. Sokka didn’t miss the brief lick of blue flame shooting out of her pointer finger, melting the locking mechanism so she could get into the private room. Hopefully, it was more inconspicuous than it looked.

Azula disappeared through the open door, leaving the rest of them behind in the hallway to stand around awkwardly. About two minutes later, Azula came back out.

“Looks clear. I’m sure you’ll _find_ it to be very safe,” she said, ushering the two girls into the room. “We’ll stand guard right here. If you need any help, just yell.”

Then the door was closing behind Mai and Ty Lee. Sokka felt a thrill running up his spine -- _victory!_

“Come on,” Azula hissed, grabbing Sokka by the sleeve and dragging him back the way they came. He assumed they would be leaving through the back door reserved for Palace staff. “We can’t win unless we get to the meet-up spot on time.”

“We’ve got plenty of time. That actually went a lot smoother than I was expecting.”

“Yeah, which isn’t particularly good news for you, me, or my brother. At least I can count on Suki to whip this place into shape when she gets here. And until then…” Azula pulled Sokka back through the tapestry entrance and into the abandoned staff kitchen before continuing. “You’re right. We’ve got some time. What’s on your mind, future Fire Lord?”

“Oh, so _now_ you’re ready to do normal bonding things and talk about feelings? _After_ we broke into the Fire Palace to steal your priceless family heirloom?”

Azula yanked her helmet off, shaking her short hair loose and wiping some sweat off of her brow. Sokka loosened the ties on his gauntlets, pulling them off.

“No time like the present. You’re marrying my brother, and since I’m planning on sticking around that’s the equivalent of marrying me.”

“Is it?”

Azula punched Sokka lightly in the shoulder, though her definition of light wasn’t unlike Toph’s. Sokka groaned.

“I’d say so. You know, it’s pretty impressive that you two managed to have an old law abolished just so that you could be married. Why bother? You could’ve just as happily dated without tying the knot.”

“Well, sure, but me and Zuko have been talking about this for a long time,” Sokka replied wistfully, taking the moment to pull off his own helmet. “We want to start something -- a family. And besides, I’m sure there are plenty of other folks who’ll benefit from changing the law.”

Azula hummed, picking at something in her nails. Sokka sighed.

“I’m certain you’ll find someone, too, Azula. And there’s still plenty of time, it’s not like--”

“That’s not the problem, Sokka. I _know_ I have plenty of time. But I’ve already met all of my favorite people. Mai, Ty Lee, you and Katara, surprisingly Aang and Toph. You’re all great. And if I was going to catch feelings, it would have to be one of you. I mean this with the greatest respect, but you Southern Water Tribe people are drop-dead _gorgeous._ I just… sometimes I think I don’t _want_ to be with anyone. And I think… I think I’m okay with that.”

Azula made eye-contact with Sokka. He was taken aback by how open she was being with him. They’d grown closer in the past years, no doubt, but they’d never talked about this kind of stuff before. And here Azula was spilling her guts to him. _Maybe Katara’s idea hadn’t been all that bad._ Azula needed a friend to talk to about this kind of stuff.

“I’m glad you’re okay with that,” Sokka responded, offering a genuine smile that Azula returned, if not a bit awkwardly. “And I’m glad you felt comfortable telling me.”

“Great, now we can mark ‘bonding’ off of the proverbial ‘Things In-Laws Should Do’ checklist and get out of here. We don’t want to be late,” Azula started, taking a step toward the kitchen door.

“Hold on, I want to see it first.”

Azula didn’t have to ask what he was talking about. She looked like she wanted to play dumb, but knew better than to waste her time on Sokka. There was a mutual respect there, an acknowledgment of equal intellect, that Sokka had always appreciated. It was one of his favorite things about spending time with his fiance’s sister.

She reached into her pocket and withdrew an object wrapped in a deep red cloth. She laid it out on the kitchen counter, flipping the edges of the fabric away to reveal a bone-white comb, carved with intricate designs in painstaking detail.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, carved from the tooth of the first dragon that Fire Lord Sozin slew. It was passed down from his wife to Azulon’s wife, Illah, and finally to my mother, Ursa.”

The fact that Ursa had never gotten the chance to pass the comb on to Azula was left unsaid.

“So when Katara said ‘whoever steals the most valuable object before midnight wins,’ _this_ is the first thing you thought of?” Sokka asked incredulously, looking down at the old comb and marveling at how long it had lasted amidst the chaos of war.

“I’ve done my research! It’s by far the most expensive thing in the entire Fire Nation, and no one even knew where my mother had hidden it before she left. I’d bet you a shot of cactus juice that Zuko and Katara stole some boring sword or something from one of the shops in the Capital.”

Sokka wasn’t going to take her up on that bet -- he completely agreed. The most illegal thing Katara had ever done was commit a bit of ecoterrorism, and despite Zuko’s past as a masked vigilante (which they _still_ needed to sit down and have a real conversation about), he didn’t have a mean bone in his body.

Azula was one-hundred percent correct to assume they wouldn’t… well, commit treason.

Like he and Azula technically had.

“If no one knows where your mother hid it, how come you do? Why doesn’t Zuko know?”

A shadow passed over Azula’s face, and he was worried that he’d asked the wrong thing, that maybe Azula wouldn’t answer. But she surprised him again and did.

“I used to watch her comb Zuko’s hair from behind the chamber curtains. She’d invite me too, of course, but they always looked so happy like that. And I couldn’t… it was just...”

Azula trailed off, hands absentmindedly traveling up to her own recently cut locks. She’d let Suki do it for her, after she had gotten some help in the fallout of Fire Lord Ozai’s deposition. Sokka reached forward, grabbing Azula’s hands and bringing them back down to the table.

“Azula, I couldn’t begin to understand the pain you experienced as a child. The pain you’re still living through now. But me and Zuko, we want to start a new life together. And it shouldn’t have to be said, but you _are_ a part of that. We’re your friends. We’re your _family_. The past is the past.”

Azula’s grip tightened in his own, and then she was pulling him forward into a hug, catching him completely off guard. He easily relaxed, though, wrapping one arm around Azula’s back while his other remained trapped between their chests, fingers intertwined with Azula’s.

 _“The past is the past,”_ she echoed.

It reminded him of the nights when Katara used to wake up, crying about their mother. Sokka had been there for her. And he would be there for Azula, too.

Neither of them acknowledged that they were both shedding tears. Neither of them really cared. And neither of them pulled away for what seemed like an infinite amount of time, but then the door was swinging open and an unsuspecting Palace servant was squeaking in surprise.

“P-Princess Azula? Ambassador Sokka? I didn’t mean to intrude, please, I’ll--”

“That’s alright, Hee,” Sokka replied quickly, recalling this particular woman as the one who had served him breakfast during his last visit a few weeks ago. “You’re free to go.”

The woman bowed and was about to exit the room when she was interrupted by Azula.

“Excuse me! Do you happen to have the time?”

“Oh, it must be a quarter til midnight, ma’am.”

Azula looked at Sokka. Sokka stared right back.

They were supposed to meet Katara and Zuko at the beach house on Ember Island. And they both knew full-well that getting from where they were to Ember Island in fifteen minutes was next to impossible.

That didn’t stop Azula from grinning and tying her hair back, the spark of a challenge flashing in her eye.

“You wanna lead?”

“No way,” Sokka replied, dumping the last of the armor that he had still been wearing on the kitchen floor. “I’ll think I’ll trust you with this one. Lead the way, Princess.”

**Author's Note:**

> Azula ended up stealing a glider from the Avatar museum and blasting fire out of her feet while Sokka hung onto her back. They made it to Ember Island in time :)
> 
> I honestly have no clue what Zuko and Katara ended up stealing... any ideas?
> 
> Zuko was initially mad about them stealing the comb, but then he and Azula had a sibling conversation and healed some more together because I love that for them!
> 
> Also, afterwards they went out for cactus juice shots and when they got back to the Capital the entire place was in an uproar because they thought that the Fire Lord and his sister had been kidnapped. (But Mai and Ty Lee definitely knew what had happened and they just fucked around and went with it for fun.) Zuko almost had to call of the wedding and the Kyoshi Warriors had to cut their vacation short, not that they minded. They live for Fire Palace drama.
> 
> Say hi on [Tumblr](https://crapoftheworldblr.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
